Metal cutting or notching machine



y Nov. 16, 1943. F. G. cAssENs Erm. 2,334,250

METAL CUTTING 0R NOTCHING MACHINE C' arles 7.` Hergsck 37M TToRNEY Nov. 16, 1943. F. G. cAssEN ETAL 2,334,250

METAL CUTTING; 0R NOTCHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 29. 1941 -5 sheets-sheet 2d INVENToRs Fred G. C'assens Non-ls Evans Charles THQ-yuh Nov. 16, 1943. lF. G. cAssENs` ETAL METAL CUTTING OR NOTCHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 29. 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENT ons hss-ens .5f Evans Fred G.

Norris C' erle s 7.`Herl:gsc j ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 16, 1943 @time 'Fred G. Cassens, Jennings, Mo., Morris S. Evans, Buffalo, 'Ni Y., and Charles T.V Hertzsch, letter--` sonville, 1nd assi-:ners to American Car, and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corpora! tion .ofNew Jersey Application llg'llst` 29, .1941, Serial No. 408,898

(Cl. 26S-.123)

6 Claims.

This invention relates to metal cutting *or notching machines inY general and in particular to such machines intended to not-ch largebillelS in order that they may be broken into'shor lengths required in shell'manuiacture. Y Y

In ordering large sizes of metal bar they are ordered by Weight with the weight figured to give approximately the eorrectlength of material. However, the mills `in furnishing these metal bars, commonly known as billets or blooms, have imposed a weight tolerance permitting vvariation of a plus or minus `21/ fpercent. This weight tolerance will mean that in cases if-*anv 8 x 8 billet or bloom Vapproximately 100V inches long the length may vary inches. 'InV the pasti .v

it has been necessary for oneman to gauge the length of a bar of metal, then"divid`e 'the bar into the proper number of equal lengths for cut ting into the A'desired length of pieces: Such gauging and division permits of errors occurring with the result thatsomeof the small "chunks of billet may be unfit 'for use, also such: gauging and marking consumes considerable time'and under the present .conditions't'ime in 'the inanulfacture of shells and other equipment is of vital importance.

It is'also oi'vital importance` `that once gauged thebillet be notched accurately in order that the chunks or slugs destined to ibecome a shell may have the proper'weight and dimensions and that there be no poor or under. size slugs. It is an object, therefore, of the pres ent inventionto provide a metal cutting ory notching machinewhi'ch includes as a component part thereof a gauging device fondividingthe billet into the proper number ofslugs.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a metal cuttingfor notching machine having a gauging device attached thereto, which gauging device controls the positioning' Of the metal cutting or notching Atips. i

A still further object of, the-invention is the provision of a metal bar cutting .or hatching machine adapted to simultaneously notch OPPO- site sides of a billet or bar and at predetermined points. Y

These and other objects of the invention wills be apparent to persons skilled in the art from. a study of the following description and accom-l panying drawirngs,l `in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevationalY view proved machine; A s y, 1

Fig. 2 is an end View of the machine, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

Referring ,now to the drawings in detaih it will be seen that the4 machineconsists of three :of mem-l mainparts, namely, ira-me4 A,across which can bev moved a torch carrier' or truck B, which in' turn slidably `carriesnatorch head assembly CQ The machine trame is shown "as composed of four vertical posts or supports'` ID anchored-to the floor or other supporting structure byv foot plates l2; l`The upper ends of the posts or up rights `Il) are joined `together by "end channels lil and side pieces I6 of I-beam cross'isection, thus forming a rigid frame. 'Ihis-framesup'- ports channels I8 joined together by any suit` 'able means and carrying a' plurality of rollers 20, which rollers are adapted'to `Support the billet or bar W. Movement of the billet or bar through the machine lupon the rollers is controlled by means of a vertically movable stop 22 connected by -means of a thrust rod fto a `foottreadle 2d' s jcurnaled as at 2B on the machine base frame.

The stop portion 22 is of sucient Weight as to constantly tend 'tof lower,` clearing the path of the billetaross the rollers,fbut when the foot itreadle is depressed the stop will. be projected upwardly *and prevent movement of'y the billet through the machine.u Supporting brackets 2l are attached to the machine 'frame adjacent the end remote from the removable lstop and provide support for a Arockshaft 2'83journaled in the' brackets and carrying "at one end an index orl of the billet or bar` W, thusit will be'seen thatwhen the billetor bar W is .againstthe'stop 22 and the `feeler or finger 32 is against the remote end, thepointer- 30u/ill give an indication Of the; length Yof the billet. In the present instance the index' plate is numberedwith numerals from I to B inclusive and since itis so numberedthe division bai-.34 is oflvoctagonal form giving eight faces Which `are numbered `to correspond withV the numerals on the indexv plate. TheY division 'bar is journaled in bearings 36 fastened to the machine frameand eachface of the division bar has eut therein four equally spaced notches 31,

thus' permitting equal division of the'billet into ve slugs. .As clearlyshown in Figs. 1,-and 3, the notches 31 on the various faces are staggered in .such away that if thefindex'pointenwhen .in contact with the billet, indicates numeral 4,

then, if the division rod 34 is turnedA 'sojthat the face number 4 is upwardly, the notches 37 will Fastened -to the rock shaft be so spaced as to permit the notching of the billet W at four equally spaced points giving ve equal sized slugs.

The torch carrier or truck B, previously referred to, consists of a carriage fra-me 40 supported on axles 4| which in turn aresupported by wheels 42. These wheels are adapted to run upon split I-beams or T-bars 44 welded or otherwise secured to the frame of the machine, and forming a track. Movement of the carriage along the frame carried track is obtained through the use of a hand wheel 46 drivinga pinion 41 meshture.

ing with a rack 48 carried upon themachine base y frame. Excessive movement of the carriage along the frame track is prevented by means of stops 49 located adjacent each end 0f the track and in the path of the wheels 42. In order to positively locate the carriage in a predetermined position it has attached thereto a bracket 50 of chan- -formed with tapering sides in order to insure an accurate positioning of the carriage at all times.

The carriage is provided in addition to its supporting and driving parts with vertically extending slideways 54 connected to the frame and braced thereto by braces 56. braces, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2, are

.provided with an axle 51 upon which is mounted a pulley 58. This pulley is adapted to permit movement of a cable or rope 59 anchored at one end to a counter-weight 60 sliding enrolling ,on the uppermost braces supporting the slideway structure. The opposite endofthe rope or cable is anchored to a torch carrier or slide 62 of general T-shape'with the arms of the T extending laterally with krespect to the body or slide portionof the carrier. The `central portion of this T-shaped torch carrier or slide is provided with the necessary slides cooperating with slideways 54 and also with a. threaded block 64 adapted to engage the threads of a screw 6G carried by thev carriageand adapted to be driven through suitable gearing by a motor M (Fig. 1). To provide for quick movement of the torch carrier, the threaded block 64 has attached thereto a. handle 61 (Fig. 2), permitting disengagement of the block and screw threads, allowingr rapid movement of the torch carrier independently of the motor.- In this Way rapid movement of the torch carrier may be obtained while utilizing a'l slow speed motor capable of moving the torch heads in a vertical direction at the proper cutting speed,

The` ends cf the torch carrier arms are provided with downwardly directed V-shape sockets, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, adapted toy receive torch head 'brackets 10. .Each of the torch head brackets has attached thereto a torch head T The head of the plungerA Certain of these` wheel 16 will cause simultaneous approach or separation of the torch tips toward or away from the work to be cut or notched. It is to be understood, of course, that the supply of fuel. and oxygen to the torches is to be controlled simultaneously and preferably by a single control, all of which is more or less conventional and not a part of the present invention.

The operation of the machine is as follows and assuming a billet or bar approaching the machine along thetrackway of the supporting table struc- The billet'or bar will roll along rollers 2|) until it strikes stop 22 raised into position by pressure of 'the operators foot on the foot treadle marked with the corresponding numeral is uppery most. In the case illustrated by,` the drawings in fulll ines the billet would bel termed a number one'billet and number one face of the division bar is accordingly uppermost. In case a long billet was in the machine the feeler and index would be in theposition shown in line and dash outline in Fig.- 1 and it would be known as a number eight billet which would require rotation of the divisionr bar until number eight face was uppermost. In any case, to gauge and'accurately divide the baror billet intoequal parts it is only necessary for the operator to obtain ,l a relative reading of the bar or billets lengthV and turn the division rod to a corresponding reading. With the division rod turned to the proper position rotation of the hand wheel 46 will cause the carriage to bedriven-along the machine until plungery 5| ,reachesa slot 31 in the face of the division bar.y As soon as "this notch is reached the plunger is depressed under the action of the spring and the `carriage is locked in place. 4The handwheel 46' in driving the carriage across the i machine until the next notch 31 on 'the division barl'ias 'been reached, whereuponthe notching process may be repeated. The same operation will, of course, follow regardless of the gauge number of the billet and the billet will always be cut into equal length slugs so long as the operatorV sees that the index number and the number of the uppermost face of the division rod correspond. In the present instance the division rod-has been made of octagonal form but it is obvious that any desired number of faces on the division rod may be used, together with a corresponding change in the index plate carried by the frame. It will also'be obvious that if necessary additional notching heads may be carried by the carriage permitting the cutting of more than one` bar of notches at a time. In referring to billets in the preceding description this word `.has been used, not in the sense as used by the steel mills, but in a larger, broader sense as defined by the dictionary. In other words, it

is intended that the word billet be construed as merely a'. barv of metal and not as a bar of metal of certainlimited dimensions as vitis defined by the steel mills. Y

i ing an identifying mark corresponding to the in- While the invention has been` described more or less in detail with specific reference to one embodiment thereof, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that various modiflcations and rearrangements of parts may be made'and all such modifications and rearrangements of parts are contemplated as will fall within the scope oi the appended claims defining our invention.

What is claimed is: y

1. A cutting machine ofthe character described and including, a frame, a rotatable division bar carried by the frame, a plurality of series of equally spaced stops on lsaid bar, said bar being each face Vof the bar with the notches on each c face spacedA apart a diierent amount than those on the remaining faces, a torch carrier movable along the frame, and means carried by the torch carrier and engageable in said notches to retain the torch carrier in the positions predetermined by the notches on the faces of the division bar.

3. A cutting machine of the character described and including, a frame, a hexagonal division bar rotatably carried by the frame, a plurality of spaced notches formed in each side of said hexagonal bar with the spacing differing on each side frame than on the remaining sides, said bar being rotatable to present any desired side toward a torch carrier, a torch carrier movable along the frame and carrying means engageable in said notches to retain the torch carrier in the positions predetermined by the notches on the side of the division bar presented to the carrier. A

4. A machine for cutting of billets into predetermined lengths comprising, a frame, a support for the billet and including a limiting stop, a gaugingdevice carried by the frame in position to contact an end ofthe billetand indicate its rela.- tive length, a rotatable division bar carried by the frame and formed with a plurality of substantial-v dications onthe gauging device, an equal num- .Q

ber of equally spaced notches-formed in each face of the bar but coveringV diierent total lengths of the faces, a torch carrier movable along said frame and carrying locking means engageable Within said notches to retain the carrier in a predetermined position, said division bar being rotatable to present a face to the torch carrier lockl,

ing meansv which corresponds to the indication given by said gauging device and whereby said billet may be cut at equally spaced points upon operation `of the torch. y

5. A machine for cutting of billets into predetermined lengths comprising, a frame, a support for the billet and including a limiting stop, a gauging device carried by the frame in position to contact an end of the billet with the other end abutting said stop to indicate the relative length of the billet, an octagonal division bar rotatably carried by the frame in a position substantially parallel to the billet, each side of said division bar being formed Awith equally spaced notches to form a series on each side spaced differently than the series on the other sides and each side bearing an identifying mark corresponding to the indication on the gauging device, a torch carrier movable along said frame Vand including a vertically movable torch for cutting the billet, and locking means carried bysaid torch carrier to sequently lock the same in thenotches ofone side of the division bar, said division bar being rotatable to present to the locking means the side bearing an `identification corresponding to the indication of the gauging device and Whereby said billet may be cut into equally spaced parts upon operation of the torch. Y

6. Apparatus for notching billets comprising a billet conveyor along which the billet is adapted to be horizontally moved in an endwise direction, a track extending lengthwise oi--the conveyor, a truck movable along the track, spacing means paralleling the track, means on the truck engageable and disengageable from said spacing means for sequentially holding the truck at predetermined spaced intervals along the length of the billet, notching torches, and means carried by the truck supporting said torches above and on opposite sides of the billet with provision for movement toward and from the billet in both vertical and horizontal directions.

- FRED G. CASSENS. MORRIS S. EVANS. CHARLES T. HERTZSCHL 

